Old wounds
by me-myself-and-me
Summary: after the crossing of ingo and all the adventures are over, Connors is at university and Sapphire is left to her self. But Faro hasn't shown himself in years and Sapphire has moved on, a new life, new friends,new loves... Then he comes back...
1. Chapter 1

"Hi mum, hi roger." I chimed as I walked into our small cottage. It was much better now roger had moved in, he was great and mum was always happy now. Sadie bounded up to me and jumped.

"Down Sadie, down now girl, good girl. We'll go for a walk later." She was old but she still bounced like a puppy rubbing against my leg a whining. I smiled.

"Hi, Sapphy how was your day?" Mum said as she walked in and I dropped my bag by the table.

"It was ok. When's Connor coming back next?" Mum thought for a moment, Connor had gone to university last year; he and rainbow went together because they were going out. I had moved up to a bigger school to and made a lot of changes. I cut my hair. Of course it was still long, but now it only reached my shoulders and was straight with layers and a side fringe that was in fashion. I even wore a little make up, not as much as the other girls but just a little. I wasn't like great friend with any of them some could be real bitches. (of course mum would kill me if I used that language in the house.) But others like Angela where real nice. Mum smiled she liked that I was getting on well at school, I didn't spend as much time down at the cove now. It made me feel lost.

I went up stairs and started my homework. I hated math even more now. I hadn't seen Faro, since it all ended, I used to go and wait at the cove all day but he never came I even went to Ingo but I never left the cove because I was scared I'd never find my way back. I shook those thoughts away and went back to homework.

A while later roger called up the stairs. "Sapphire, Phone. It's Dave." I jumped up.

"Coming!" I sprinted down the stairs and grabbed the phone.

"Hey, Sapphy." I grinned.

"Hey, Dave."

"How are you? I missed you all day." I smirked and sat down on the stairs.

"Me too, I'm fine. Why don't you come over tomorrow it's a Saturday me and the band are having a party down on the beach near me."

"Beach? I didn't know there was a beach near you, anyway I though you hated it cause it was so crowded."

"Yeah, well it's this little cove I went to as a kid and we needed a place to practice so where having a beach party. It's kind of out of the way so it's not crowded but only the band our coming so what do you think."

"Sounds great." I heard him smirk down the phone. Dave was my boyfriend and after rainbow and her brother left I joined a band with Angela and some other kids from school. It was great because I sung and Angela played guitar and Liam and Beth did drums and keyboards. Angela would probably bring Max to, so we could have a big bomb fire. It was a good thing Liam had a small set of electric drums that were portable and Beth's keyboard could be battery packed too. I grinned as we kept talking for hours until Sadie came up to me whining.

"Sorry, Dave but I have to take Sadie out now. I love you, see you tomorrow ok."

"Ok, love you to. Stay safe. Bye." He said then I hung up. Sadie whined again.

"Ok Sadie it's coming girl." I hooked her lead on but all the time we were walking she wasn't right. I took her down the path past the cove and she suddenly started to bark and quiver. I stroked her.

"It's ok girl nothing going to hurt you." She still shivered. "Ok were go back ok." It was when I turned round I felt it. I hadn't felt it in so long I thought I dreamt it. The pull of the tide, Ingo. I suddenly started to walk fast away from it I wouldn't take Sadie down there and I wasn't going to go. No, I could fight it.

Soon it was the weekend and we we're making our way down to the cove, I felt so strange going down since so long and without Connor. Now that'd he'd gone. I had to do almost everything by myself at home but it was still weird going down the same old rocky path, Max had Beth's keyboard slung over his shoulder and was being careful with the foot holds, that I still knew off by heart after all this time. We managed to get down to the cove without any trouble, and soon we we're on the almost forgotten, beautiful white sand that sloped slowly down to the sea. I smiled.

"Where here." I grinned the others looked around in awe and I felt Dave's arms wrap around my waist.

"Saphy why'd you hide this place away for so long it's beautiful?" He asked. I shrugged and Angela spun on the sand laughing.

"I know why, she wanted it all to herself that why. This place is great Saph and no one can complain 'bout our rocking neither." I grinned. Soon the boys where all set about getting fire wood while Beth, Angela and myself sat down on some logs that had been swept in from the sea, using them as makeshift benches. Soon there was a big enough pile and we got around to playing something while it was still light enough. I shifted so I was sitting on Dave's lap as Beth got a tune going on the keyboard sitting next to Liam who was tapping out a tune on the little plate that was meant to be drums, while Angela on Max's lap was tuning the Guitar.

"So what are we playing?" Liam asked I shrugged.

"What do you want?" I asked Angela through then suddenly had the shine in her eyes that I knew meant she had an idea. "What Angela?"

"Well." She started. "Seeing as we're near the sea and all and you are really good at this one Saph why don't we do 'I wish I was away in Ingo.'?" I blinked.

"Err I haven't sung that in ages…" She nodded.

"I know but I was thinking we could you know update it and make it like our own tune. You're Dad would have liked that." Angela knew about my father. Not in that way but she knew and she knew he loved that song. I smiled at the though.

"Ok, yeah, let's do that." Liam nodded.

"Cool well you start singing and we'll put a beat behind it we can speed it up, half way through and maybe change some lyrics when you run out." I nodded.

"Cool." I coughed and Shifted on Dave's lap who was grinning at me, before starting.

"I wish I were away in Ingo,

Far across the briny sea," I heard Angela's guitar kick in followed by the drums.

"Sailing over deepest waters,

Where love nor care ever trouble me." I heard the key bored kick in and suddenly the tune picked up.

"Oh Peggy Gordon, You are my Darling." I words weren't the same they were lighter than Dad used to sing with the tune faster and they sounded, happier.

"Come sit down with me." I changed the lyrics slightly.

"Oh Peggy Gordon you are my everything,

So come sit down next to me."

"And tell me…" The word made me happy to sing them like this in a different way I felt like Dad was watching and was happy for me.

"Why do you lie to me?

Why do you slight me?

Oh why?" Dave's arms wrapped tighter round me.

"Oh why Peggy Gordon can't you see?

Oh why Peggy Gordon sit down and tell me."

"I wish I was away in Ingo,

Far, far away from here,

I wish I was away in the sea,

In the deepest waters,

Oh, I wish I was away in Ingo,

Where love nor care ever trouble me." the song came to a close.

"Where Love nor care ever trouble me." It was a softer ending and I grinned it was great. Beth's grin was so big it could of burst f her face.

"Saph that is so good, we have to sing that at our gig!" I laughed but Angela and Liam where agreeing.

"Saph that was wicked." Max congratulated. Dave's kissed me on the neck.

"You should sing it more often." I felt my face blush a little and I laughed it of.

"Fine, fine." I muttered.

The rest of the night was spent singing and laughing when Liam muck up a song half way through and then it turned into everyone singing scarring all the gulls that where around the place and laughing at Max's and Dave's screeching. Then when it was too dark we lit the bon fire and huddled round in one of the blanket Mum had lent us. Signing some campfire songs we learnt last year at school and some old ones we learnt when we we're two.

"B. I. N. G. O! B. I. N. G. O! B. I. N. G. O and bingo was his name'o!" We laughed as we finished the song. The fire was nothing but red glowing embers, glittering in the darkness and I could hear then crackle. I sighed leaning against Dave's chest.

"We better go up before the tide comes in any further." Dave's nodded and the others groaned.

"But it's comfy cosy." Muttered Angela and Max chuckled. Standing up and dragging her with her. I did the same.

"Yeah but unless you want to be sleeping with the fishes." She sighed but got up and soon we we're stumbling back up the rock face, when we got to the path I was the last one up I suddenly froze. I could feel it, again, the pull of the sea, the calling of my name in a language not many knew.

"Saph, Saph? Are you ok, you look kind of pale?" Dave's arm wrapped round me and I shook my head.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine just tired." I saw the worry on his face but he shrugged and we carried on walking to the cottage. It was quiet when we got back, Roger and Mum must already be asleep I dragged some covers from the cupboard and we all sprawled out in my room while the boys went up to Connors old room. Even though we were 16 Mum still would kill me if they slept in the same room. Soon we made ourselves comfortable splayed across the floor and bed. I listened to the waves break on the rock in the cove and before I drifted away I swore I heard a voice that was very familiar call out to me.

"Sapphire."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N 1, thank you for the reviews, 2, I will take on all the advice, you may have to bear with me on the grammar etc through. I do tend to proof read but I'm still not very good with the whole spelling, grammar.**

I turned and twisted In my bed that night. I should be tired, but no matter what I didn't the sheets just seemed to suffocate me. Twisting round my legs and arms like snakes. I shook my head, I was too old now to be thinking those thoughts. I got up and tip toed across the floor to the stairs, careful not to wake anyone.

The clock on the kitchen cooker glowed a dull red showing that it was 3.29 am, but despite that I could still be glade that Sadie would be awake for me. As if she heard my thoughts she was up and pushing against my leg in that way she always does when she knows something wrong. I sat down on one of the chairs and stroked her golden fur ad her soft ears. Trying to think only about her.

It seemed to work for a while; I felt any thoughts of Ingo vanish from my mind even the sounds of the sea seemed further away. Then there was a creak from upstairs and I turned, I hadn't turned the lights on so I couldn't sea there face that clearly in the dark, but I recognised the movements and the silhouette well enough and smiled.

"You're awake?" Dave muttered I could see him rubbing his eyes from sleep and wondered why he was awake.

"Yeah. Couldn't sleep… you?" I asked keeping a hand on Sadie's back, for some reason he never liked Dave much and I felt her muscle bunch underneath my hand. "Sh, girls s'ok." I mumbled. He didn't seem to notice and sat down on another chair opposite.

"Any reason why?" I shook my head.

"No, not really." I couldn't really tell him about ingo, about how the sea called me. Dave wasn't really earth or sea and he never had to choice between either. He wouldn't understand. He nodded and took one of my hands, squeezing it gently.

"You know I'm always here right." I nodded again. That was the one thing about Dave, he wouldn't leave me I knew it.

Just then Sadie brushed up against me again whining. "Maybe she wants to go out…" I though, though she didn't normally this late. Dave nodded again.

"We should sleep though." He stood up dragging me with him. "Come on. If you go out now I won't be able to sleep." He grinned and we trudged back up the stairs again, Sadie followed close behind me.

Curling back into the covers I felt much better. Maybe it was talking to Dave or maybe it was just the comforting weight of Sadie over my legs sleeping but whatever it was I felt myself finally fall into sleep.

******

I jolted out of a dreamless sleep to Sadie licking my face. "Sadie! Sadie down. No." but Sadie was smart and she jumped down with a backwards glance that made me follow. I glance around everyone else must already be downstairs. I followed and found out I was right, Angela, Liam, Beth, Max and Dave where all crowding round the tiny in comparison kitchen table. Mum was leaning against the kitchen counter along with Roger, smiling and talking.

"Finally awake then sapphire?" Roger smiled and I yawned stretching.

"Yeah, I grinned, grabbing dome toast from the table.

"You sleep ok?" Dave asked, referring to last night I nodded. Munching the toast I'd picked up.

"So what to you kids plan on doing today?" Mum asked looking up as she place more toast in the middle of everyone. There was a sudden roar as everyone started to sound there ideas at once making mum and roger laugh.

"Wait, I know we can go surfing!" Angela yelled, She and Max loved surfing. I'd done it a few times after … well. But, not as much as the others and going down to the sea right now didn't feel like the right thing. The other didn't seem to be going along with my train of thought though.

"Yeah, it's a good day for it." Roger seemed to nod along to the idea. Well I guess I wouldn't have to go into the sea if I didn't want to.

***********

Soon enough we where down in St. Pirans, the waves where high crashing into the beach gently. There where already a few surfers out there riding the waves, but this wasn't the high holiday season so there was still open water. I stood on the beach as the guys and Angela started getting ready boards and all. Me and Beth stood on the sand.

"You sure you don't want to go out Saph?" Beth asked. "We know how much you love the sea…" I shrugged.

"It's ok, I just. Don't feel like it." I hadn't felt the call of the sea anywhere near though, I was starting to think it was all in my head. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just go out for a bit.

"You sure?" she asked again, she was waiting to go of to get ready with the others I could tell. "I mean I can stay here if you want." I shook my head again.

"You go. I might come in later." I said she frowned for a second before nodding. Beth was also so caring and generous. I wished I'd brought Sadie down now, but it was a long way from the cottage to bring her and she was older now. Instead I sat on the sand watching as they tried to stand up and ride the waves as they fell into the cold salty water. Laughing as the boys tried to show of there tricks and again failed making large splashes of white foam on the top of the deep blue waves. I laughed as Dave stood up and simply slipped back of when a wave caught him not paying attention.

Soon, Dave and Max came out dripping, there hair plastered across there face, laughing. I ran down the beech stopping just before the water reached the sand, trying not to soak my trainers with salt water.

"Hey Saph," Max grinned and held his arms wide open as if to hug me, but I backed away so I wouldn't get wet. He laughed.

"Are you gonna come in?" Dave questioned eagerly. I shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Oh, come up Saph. You can ride on the back of my bored." He grinned and it was infectious.

"Fine, fine." I raised my hands and headed of to where we kept our boreds and wet suits. "I'll be right back." I called before setting of into a jog. I really wanted to go surfing with Dave and near St. Pirans Ingo was far, far away. It had been so far away for so long now that I didn't think it would come back anyway. I shook my head now wasn't the time. I slipped into my wet suit in the changing room they'd set up near the surf shop, before dashing back out.

I ran down the beech and stop with my feet feeling the cold water lapping round my ankles. Dave waved he was in waist deep holding his white bored talking to Angela who sat on hers. Rising and falling with the breath of each wave. I smiled and waded out to them both.

"Saph you finally decide to come in." Angela grinned as I got closer.

"Yeah, couldn't keep me away." I joked as I pulled myself up onto the back of Dave bored, balancing. He smirked, and pulled himself up after as the three of us started to paddle out into the water To where the waves were higher. Soon the others where all dotted along side in a spread out line.

"Look out here comes a good one!" Yelled Liam, he'd never been a fan of surfing, but on days like this he got just as caught up with it as everyone else did. How couldn't you? the smell of the sea and the wind whipping it up around you. Violent and wild and free.

But the wave was already on up. "Ready Saph." Dave asked and I nodded. Soon the wave was lifting us ,moving us, Dave was standing up and I was kneeling keeping balancing behind him letting my hand trail in the water. I could pick out Max Skimming the top of the wave more that the rest of us dared. He screamed above the roar of the water, yelling out in fun. I laughed, I couldn't help it.

Then I heard Beth shout out something, she was calling and pointing further out to the sea. I turned just in time to see something slim move under the water, moving slowly out of the water and gasped. "Dave look. Dolphins!" He turned and I heard him mutter something.

"They never come this close in land… wow." I felt a thread of excitement roll through me, but we didn't have much time to think about it. Another yell was closer and broke through the moment.

"Look out!"

There was another wave, bigger stronger. Raging through, but it was too late, the wave lifted us, knocking Dave of balancing, flipping the bored and suddenly we where both submerged into the cold, salt water, as the wave tumbled us other. I panicked, I couldn't see Dave, couldn't tell what was up and down, the wave was crushing down.


	3. Chapter 3

Then I heard it, it was like remembering something from a dream, something really far away.

"Greetings Sister"

Then it hit me. The dolphins, they where talking to me. I remembered the language it didn't seem any different. I felt my body slipping into a place where I hadn't been before. Felt the last breath leave my lungs, though it was more painful than I remembered, burning. I though when I came back here, if I ever came back here. I would hate it. I'd missed it for so long and it had just left. I'd gone into Ingo a few time yes, but … I didn't really want to think about it. I though I would be resentful, I never wanted to come back to Ingo and I though it had closed to me. Now, being here, it made it all different, I didn't want to hate it. I loved it. I didn't want to know why I had been away for so long. So I swam. I never wanted to leave again. It was like being 14 again and just taking that first step into Ingo or crossing Ingo with Conor and Elvira and…

They where calling to me. I felt another prickle of excitement and I couldn't help but start to swim faster, as fast as I could, kicking out as strongly as I could.

"Hello Sisters, brothers." I said back and then there they where. All around me, swimming in circles and looping and I couldn't help but smile. It was just like before I didn't need to hear them to understand they where glade to see me. Oh I wished Conor was here.

"Where have you been?" They asked, which made me frown. Where had I been? Where had they been? I knew I couldn't tame dolphins they where wild, but it'd been so long since I'd seen them here, near the cove. I guess because I hadn't been in Ingo for so long.

"I've… well. I've been around." I stated, the dolphins didn't ask more I guess they where just glade to see me, like I was them. I forgot about everything else and wrapped my arms around each one intern feeling there slippery smooth skin underneath me. I just wanted to ride with them. Ride on a flight of dolphins, go as fast as we possible could. Play all day. Dolphins could play because they where intelligent. That's what the whale had told me. I paused. I'd forgotten about her. I don't know how I could forget about someone so comforting like her. Like a mother. I guess in Ingo you forget about the air and in the air… well you forget about Ingo. Yes, that was right all the thoughts of Ingo where rushing back now, like I'd wiped the fog of a piece of glass and now I could see clearly through but at the same time the one that looked through to air got clouded over.

I didn't want to remember some of the things from Ingo though; I wanted to remember the things in air. Like Sadie and Dave But as I started thinking about Dave and the others; they would be waiting for me at the beech, in air. I coughed, as soon as air thoughts filled my mind I started to feel like I couldn't breathe. My lungs burning. I needed the surface, the air the earth. It was dangerous to think air thoughts in Ingo.

The dolphins swam around me frantic now, clicking, they could tell I was slipping out of Ingo, into the air. I tried to stop but I couldn't. The more I panicked about not having enough air, the more air I needed. I glanced up, I'd need to kick towards the surface, but that would take to long, I had no breath left. Even if I could I'd be far away from the shore, I couldn't swim in. I'd get caught in a current. I'd be sucked away. My panic rose with in me, I felt the dolphins talking to me but there words slipped back into meaningless clicks, the lack of oxygen was making me tired, dizzy. I wanted to close my eyes. I remembered Conor when I couldn't support him and how his lips went blue. He went limp; I wondered if that was how I looked now.

"Sapphire!" I blinked that voice sounded familiar. It was probably in my head though, yes, I would be delirious from lack of oxygen. That was it. But the call came again closer this time. Yet the only thoughts clear in my mind where those of air, those of Dave and Beth and Angela and Liam and Max. Of surfing on the waves, of the bomb fire and singing, of Mum and Roger, Conor and Sadie. Granny Carne and Gloria Fortune and all the things that had happened. Nothing that had happened here, in Ingo. The glass was clouding over again.

Then something grabbed my wrist holding it tight. "Don't think about air Sapphire, you know that." It snapped and I felt all my thought of air vanishes at the touch, felt the stream of oxygen rush from Ingo's rich water and into me. I felt the glass all clouding over again, it gave me a head ache and I felt dizzy. I didn't know what to think anymore.

'Think of here, think of now.'

I blinked seeing same teasing smile and the same curious eyes. Dark long hair and tanned skin and strong tail. I hadn't seen in so long, didn't think I'd see ever again.

"Faro?" I muttered in disbelief.

"Hello sapphire."

*******

I stared, I knew I was starring and I brought a portcullis around my mind. Faro had let go of my wrist now but just him being here and being near was enough to make it hard to think of air. I didn't know what to say, what to think or feel.

"Why- why are you here?" I asked, I saw the grey smooth skin of dolphins side into the corner of my eyes and around they where still here, they didn't seem to understand the tension. Or maybe I was the only one full of tension. The Mer and Human worlds and lives are so different; sometimes I never thought I understood them.

Faro just smiled the teasing smile he always used, except now he wasn't a curious young mer boy like he was when we played in Ingo, or went to the deep. He was older, stronger, and more mature. If he could stand up I would think that he must be a lot taller than me.

"Because this is Ingo Sapphire, this is where I belong." He stated it as if the answer was so simple but he was skirting round the question and I frowned. The anger I though I should feel was suddenly rising up, it wasn't Ingo I was angry with. I realised, it wasn't Ingo who left me. It was him.

"That's not what I meant Faro." I stated and I couldn't help the anger and ice slip into my voice. It was how I would talk to one of the stuck up girls at school I realised Or one of the sexist pigs. Trying to re-coil all my emotions from the situation. He seemed taken aback. I had never been this harsh with Faro.

"Well, what do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." I almost yelled, but I started to answer anyway. "Why are you here? Why did you never come before, you just suddenly turn up as if everything's ok and as if nothings changed?" It was a lot harder to keep my anger back than before.

"We've been busy. There's been so much to do, to repair." He sounded so sad, it makes me pause. It doesn't make my anger seep away though. Of course I knew there was lot to do in Ingo, of course it was broken and it needed to heal, but I could have helped. He could have told me and I would have come, or I would have waited, but he didn't he left without a word. I didn't feel like talking about this though.

Turning in the water, I started to swim back to shore; Dave and the other would be worrying. It was like looking at them through steamed glass still but that way it wasn't dangerous. The dolphins where near by, swimming next to me.

"Sapphire." Faro called after me he was a much stronger swimmer than I was of course. His tail easily propelling him in the water.

"I don't want to talk Faro." I don't think I'd ever been so frank with him, he'd always been so teasing and proud and I was always so scared of hurting him. Not know, I felt an empty feeling. I hadn't felt it before, or maybe I had but I didn't remember, or it'd been filled up with other things. All I knew was that I wanted to get back to land, to earth and air.

"Sapphire!" He sounded more urgent now, annoyed. I ignored him, slipping on to the back of the dolphin and hugging her close, moving my body to hers. "Please take me away." I whispered so I hoped Faro wouldn't hear me and she did. She shot of as far to the shore as she dared. Far enough away from him.

****

A/N, these seem short... so i may start merging them and making them longer and therefore it will take longer to write. ... yep, thats all i've got to say.


	4. Chapter 4

I shuddered and stumbled as I came out the water, coughing a few times, getting water out of my lungs I wondered how long I'd been under for. How powerful it was, but I felt odd, not cold, though I was shivering, but strangely numb. In my chest, in my mind.

"Sapphire!" I flinched, thinking it was him but the voice was different. Worried and caring. "Oh my God Sapphire are you ok?"

It was Angela, I felt her hand on mine. "You're freezing. Oh lord, we saw what happened, at first we didn't think it was that bad. Dave came up. Oh lord. Come on let's get you warmed up." She started to pulled me forwards. I saw the others start to come towards me and then they where all around me murmuring.

"M'ok" I stated, as I felt a towel wrap around my shoulders.

"She's in shock." Beth said. "We should get her home, into a warm room and clothes. Come on Saph let go to mine it's not so far away." The others where agreeing. I moved looking for Dave, and as if he read my mind he was beside me.

"Sappy? I'm so sorry, I should have been paying more attention." He was blaming himself, no, I didn't want him to blame himself I lent into him and shook my head.

"S'n-not your fault." I stated. "M'fine." We where walking up the road now, barefoot over the streets. I wash surprised how clean it was when only a few years ago it was started with mud and rubbish and dead fish.

Dave's arm, still damp from the wet suit and sea, was draped around my shoulder pulling me close. My though of before got blow away in his arms. I wanted to think or here and now. Not there and then. I leaned in closer feeling the slight warmth radiating of him. I don't know why I'm cold anyway, the others have been in the water and we all have wet suits on. Maybe Beth's right, it's just shock.

The other have the rest of our stuff, there wasn't much seeing as other than Angela and Max we hired the boards out, the rest was just clothes and shoes. It was a good thing Beth's house was near the beach, soon we where there and the girl where pushing me upstairs into the shower while the boys to dried down stair changing. The warm water running over my skin burnt at first but soon I felt the shakes stop, the warmth grow to my core.

******

Dave and the others sat around the heater in Beth's living room, dried and clean with the smell of salt still sticking to them. I glanced in wearily and smiled coming in. "Sorry I ruined the day." I muttered as I came in, the other looked up but no one looked upset or angry. Dave stood up and simply hugged me, hard and tight and I couldn't think of anything else than to burry my head in his shoulder, feel his warmth. I felt his breath as he lent his head on my hair. Everyone else in the room was silent. I held on though, I just wanted to forget. Forget everything. That was what Dave let me do. That was his gift to me.

Suddenly Liam coughed. "Um, not trying to break up the moment or anything but…" He paused. "Actually I got nothing. Ok, I was trying to break up the moment." In that second everyone started laughing and things fell back into normal. Sitting down on Beth's white sofa's curling up and chatting. Yes, everything was back to normal. For now.

*****

Back at the cottage nothing seemed to have changed. Roger was still Roger, Mum was still Mum, our neighbours where still our neighbours and school was still school. There was no need to worry Mum by telling her about the wipe out. She worried still but not so much. I think that's probably because of roger. Wipe out's though, well there not rare, so there's no reason to worry Mum. Right now she's sitting down at the kitchen table after a long day at work. I make some tea and hand her one mug to her and sit down opposite her with my own smiling.

"What is it Sapphy?" She say taking a sip of the tea. I don't know how she knew anything was wrong. I guess it's just a thing mothers do. I shrug my shoulders.

"Nothing. I just felt like sitting down and making tea." This makes her cock an eyebrow and look at me in that funny way as if she trying to pry into my mind and find out what I'm really thinking.

"You don't need to keep things from me Sapphy. Tell me. I might be able to help?" Help? How could you? How could I tell you about it when you don't even know about Ingo or the deep or all the thing me and Conor have gone through? I smile again.

"There's nothing to tell though." I say. She frowns putting the mug down.

"Is it about a boy?"

"Mum!" My face flushes red suddenly and that give her the satisfaction of knowing she right… well, not really. She's not, but it's still embarrassing and she takes it as being right.

"Look, Sapphy, you don't have to be embarrassed about talking to me about boys. I don't mind. Neither should you, you can't know anything I don't. I had you remember. Is it to do with Dave? Is he asking you to do –" I cut her of not being able to take any more of it encase it turns into 'the talk' mum gave to me and I'm petty sure Conor a few years ago. I shudder.

"No, Mum, it's nothing. Nothing like that at all." She nods.

"Ok, but just so you know." She states, verifying the point. I shudder even thinking about it. It makes me want to get out the house. Sadie rubs up against me and I smile reaching down to stroke her head as she rests it on my lap.

I finish the tea and head up stairs, Sadie following me. Sitting down on the bed Sadie doesn't jump up though she rests by the side on the floor. She knows not to jump onto the bed. She only does it when I'm really scared. I stare around the room blankly; it hasn't changed much over the years. There still a ladder leading up to Conor's room and there's still the dresser. Though the mirror finally got replaced. The colour was still the same and the windows still faced the same way. Though the bed I had now had a metal frame. We had to replace it from when one day when Dave and the others where round and we 'accident fell' on it breaking it. I laugh remembering. Mum was furious and we all got scolded, but looking back now the stupid mistake still makes me laugh. It blurs out all previous thoughts.

But now they come rushing back, Dave isn't here to make me forget. There no strong earth to take away my thoughts and now all I can hear is the rush of the sea against the cliffs and I can taste salt water in my mouth. Hearing it calling to me. the strong currents that can whisk you away to the other side of the world and back and the gentle warm sun water. The colourful corals and fish and life that flows within them. The feeling of safety and being able to float for hours on end or rush and ride on the dolphins arching back.

I shake my head quickly snapping out of it. If I go back to Ingo, then he will be there. Waiting for me, sitting on the rock looking like he's got a swim suit on, pulled down to his waist. In reality it's a tail. A strong, sleek tail that with one stroke could break my bones. Grinning and sitting there as if nothing ever happened, but he promised. He promised and he broke that promise. The words are sharp and clear in my mind as if they where said only yesterday and they cut me deep in my heart every time I hear them anew.

'I didn't disappear… I won't ever disappear, I promise you.'

"But you did." I whisper so quietly I'm not even sure if I said it out loud at all. "You did." I thump my pillow hard as a sudden wave of anger floods me. I wish I could be as calm as Conor. Think things through not as hot head, not as quick tempered as, as …as Dad. I think and they thoughts immediately stop.

I don't want to think about Faro anymore. I don't want to think about Ingo. It's all just a web of lies and deceit. That's all the ocean ever was and will be. It tricks you with it's colour and playful ness. Ingo, it draws you in until you're so captivated by it you forget that it's wild and dangerous and it could do as it pleases with you and no one would ever know. I've seen the darker side of Ingo. The breaking of the tide knot, the kraken lying in wait in the deep, the unforgiving mer, my own father being taken away and then as he's finally given back, killed. Then a friendship that I though would last for ever just broken on a whim.

Yes, that's all Ingo is, it's only deceit and lies and hate. I don't want to ever go to Ingo again. Ever. Even if it means giving up the sea.


	5. Chapter 5

It's been a week since I made my decision. The weekend. Avoiding the sea seemed easier than I though it would be in practice. I thought my school friends would ask me when I repeatedly refused surfing, swimming, and beach parties. Anything that meant going near the water. When I refused to go to cove. Not even Mum or Roger asked when I never took Sadie down the costal path anymore. Even Sadie didn't notice. Dave and Angela and the others more than likely think that it was because of the wipe out. They don't talk about it, but they stopped asking about coming to the sea, not that they pushed me out all together. They always ask to do other things. They've tried to be sneaky doing one thing in St. Piran's and then going that way but I always neatly refused. Mum and Roger probably think I'm simply 'going through a faze.' Either way Mum's pleased that I'm studying more and more. She doesn't know that I try to spend more time on homework to stop myself thinking of Ingo though. It won't hurt her though.

Now, I'm taking Sadie out again. It's half term, all the tree's are going orange and brown and deep reds as the trees go to sleep. Shutting down and sleeping through the winter. Sadie loves jumping around in the leaves snatching at them as another stray one falls. Even though there aren't that many because of the sea. Soon, without even realising where I'm going (I party think that Sadie has drawn me here.) Where standing out side Granny Carnes. Her cottage that's built right into the rock, I think it'd probably be a nice place to sleep now. Not confining anymore because it would block out all my thought. Like a barricade. I was going to turn back down the path when I see her coming down from her bees. They must be hibernating now too though. She reaches me quickly. More like a young girl than an old woman.

"Hello Sapphire." She smile and I smile back. She's still scary though. Even after all this time.

"Hi." I mumbled and put a hand on Sadie's back for comfort.

"Well haven't you grown. But, there's something troubling you? People always come to me when something bothering them. I'm not surprised you did too." I blinked and then I realise. Of course Granny Carne knows, she can sense it. Just like Mum sense's it or Sadie, that when I say 'I'm ok' I'm not. There's nothing I can do because it's impossible to hide things from Granny Carne. "Come on in and I'll make some tea." She says turning around and heading for her little cottage.

Inside it looks like she's already got tea ready. There's a pot on the table and she motions for me to sit down as she pours one cup. Sadie sits down at my feet on the table, obviously fine with everything that's going on. She doesn't pour herself any though, but that's ok and I take a sip from the old porcelain cup and like the earthy feel of it. I know my earth blood would have grown stronger, but I don't know if it'll ever grow strong enough, I did the crossing of ingo I'm fully mer and fully earth. Even if I don't want to be. The tea doesn't make enough of a distraction and granny carne is so patient. Her amber owl like eyes are always watching and send shivers down my body.

"You're torn, your mer blood is fighting your earth blood." I couldn't find the strength to tell her no when she knew she was right. of course she was she was always right. "Now, why is that I wonder?" even as she say it I hear the slightest smirk in her voice, a grinning tonne that you don't even have to look at people to know that there grinning, laughing at you. Making sudden anger flair in my blood, the chair screeches backwards as I stand up.

"It's not funny," I find it hard to control my voice and keep it cold, despite I've known for years that it is always a bad thing to get in a fight with granny carne. "I hate ingo," I put as much spite into the words as I could. "and I wish, I wish it would just leave me alone." I finished with a sigh falling back down into the chair. Granny crane didn't seem angry, of course not it wasn't her way, but there was nothing from my flair of anger. She lent forward across the table.

"are you sure about that? I remember it wasn't long ago I couldn't keep you away." She seemed to look with those eye and see more than just my face. I felt cold and pushed my hand into Sadie's fur who was now standing and pressing her body against mine. Not in fear but because she felt my distress.

"Only bad things come from the sea." I muttered in defence. Granny crane continued to stare onwards for a while, before getting up and moving to the kitchen. I followed her with my eyes as she slowly picked up the empty tea cup and placed it in her sink. All the water here was cold, she would have to heat it up over the fire to wash it up put she seemed to stay stood over the sink instead of moving.

"Bad things happen everywhere Sapphire, in air and ingo. It is how the world balances itself, but it is not just as simple as black and white, there are all sort of shades and those are always seen differently by different people." For a moment granny carne looked much older, like a tree that's trunk was so wide you couldn't touch your hands together if you wrapped your arms around it. With so many rings it would take hours to count them. All the things it could have seen. Then it was granny crane again. "You blood is fighting against itself. You cannot fight it for ever, it will make you ill child, you must remember you are mer just as much as you belong to air." Despite knowing she was right, my fist still clenched together.

"How come I don't have a choice, what if I don't want to be mer anymore!" granny carne walked back over slowly but instead of sitting down across from be like before she sat down in one of the hard chairs next to me and did something I never though she would actually do. She draped an old light arm over my shoulders and smiled. Despite my fears it was somewhat comforting and I leaned back lightly, feeling the stray drops of liquid run from my eyes.

"You always have a choice sapphire, you always have." She murmured.

* * *

Those words seemed to echo in me as I walked Sadie home again that day and as I lay in bed that night. It filled my dreams and my thoughts making my sleep restless, I ignored the phone calls of my friends and Sadie whimpered constantly and when mum or Roger asks I simply say that I don't feel well, and it's true. Inside I have the feeling that I'd only ever gotten on a boat in really rough weather. Looking in the mirror I could see that my skin was paler than it normally was and the dark bag hung under my eyes from the lack of sleep. I couldn't make up my mind, was what granny carne said true. My blood was fighting against itself and it was making me ill, or was that just me not getting enough sleep, because I knew it wasn't just tonight that I had been having troubles.

Yet there was only one way that I would ever be able to find that out. I sighed, Mum had gone out and roger wasn't at home either. I had a while to spare, though time ran differently in ingo. I didn't think that far. I didn't bother with a swim suit or wet suit or even spar cloths. I went straight to the cove and straight to the deep blue water. Straight to where air and Ingo touched, where they mingled so neatly into one. How, how could two things so different be so beautiful together. I frowned; the pull of it was still there it would always be, stronger, like a tide in my blood.

One step touched the cold water and then the next; soon I was waste deep with the smell of salt filling my lungs. Chest deep, one small wave would do it now. Only one just above my head, my feet grazing the ground lightly, the smooth white sand comforting, the cold water swirling around me and lifting me up. Then it came and I was gone.

* * *

**((sorry this isn't most grammatically correct, sorry it's a tad rushed, sorry it's just not particularly good and sorry that it's very late (have I anything else to apologize for… don't think so.) been busy which means little time to write, I have a few unfinished stories, I won't finish a story if I don't have motivation but because all you nice people review me I feel obligated so here you go, it was a long wait but here you go.) ps, i'm tired i only just realised in the secound half i started spelling carne crane, so if you read it before the changes please spare me)**


	6. Chapter 6

Dave hands lingered in his pockets as he walked up the path towards the cottage. He hadn't planned to come to see Sapphire today, but a smirk brighten his somewhat tanned face, even in the autumn it's darker colour stood out from most peoples, his blond hair did nothing for that either, pulled into messy spikes with a thick gel that morning. Something told him something was wrong with her, the way she acted and her moods changed, her distraction. It was normal for a boyfriend to pick up on his girlfriend's moods like that. He knew her parents weren't home either and he had only really made his mind this morning, though she hadn't answer the phone when he rang once he was on his way… maybe she was still sleeping. No that was unlikely; she had probably taken Sadie out for a walk.

That though disappeared though once he knocked on the cottage door, it wasn't normally locked, people round here didn't tend to steal from each other. Too nice. Yet, when he knocked on the door all he heard was Sadie's desperate barking behind the door. It had taken a while to get here, he presumed sapphire would have come back by now but still; she didn't normally leave Sadie inside. He pushed the door open and was almost pushed right over by the nervous dog, but as she smelt him he figured she stopped. Sadie had never liked him much. She backed up slightly and whimpers though instead of the usual growl.

"Sapphire! Saph!" His voiced seemed to echo too much in the empty cottage. He frowned when no one answered. "Where' she go…" he muttered and took a step into the house. It seemed odder empty. It was normally warm and comforting with Saph's mother and Rodger inside. Sadie, despite her usual dislike followed at a small distance, head low, whimpering as if lost… or grieving. Dave didn't realise why that word came into his head and he glanced down at the dogs soft brown eyes and was only reassured by the look. The smirked that had light up his face quickly turned into a frown of worry that buried deeply on it. he looked over the kitchen and grabbed the leather lead for Sadie, though he doubted sapphire ever used it for her it was better to be safe. It wasn't so much of a struggle as it normally would be to get close and clip the lead onto her collar, but she wasn't excited as she should be. As sapphire had always told him she was when they went or even mentioned the word walk.

"Come on girl." He murmured heading out the door. "Let go find her."

* * *

The icy chill of the Atlantic vanished as oxygen and life breathed through into my skin and for the second time in my life I remembered how much I'd missed Ingo, how much I'd missed this. Every time the velvet of the water lapped around me I remembered and I forgot all my troubles, then again, that was what Ingo did, it pushed away your troubles and it filled you will happiness. Like the current, when I came back from the deep. All I wanted to do was sleep on a bed of sea moss and that's all I wanted to do now, I sawn around the cove rediscovering everything I'd forgotten down there.

My smiled stretched so far across my face I almost though it might split and I finally settled myself above a rock pool, like me and Connor used to do. I wanted to be patience like him, despite all my years of getting older, year that you would think made me not care as much about what he though or what people though about me, I still wanted to be like him in ways I wasn't. Patience was still something I was working on as I floated, trying not to make the slightest ripple in the water as I watched the anemones sway from side to side, and catching particles of food. Then something tightened in my chest, a flicker of a memory I would rather forget. I shook my head and shut it out. Leaning back flipping so I was sitting upright. I had rediscovered my underwater cove… but that had seemed like hours and time moved differently in Ingo than it did in the air. I wondered how long I had been here for them, I hoped it wasn't too log or mum and Rodger would be back and worrying. And Sadie, what about her? I'd left her all alone locked In the house, my poor Sadie. The sudden eruption of air thoughts forced me to kick up wards.

I suddenly needed air.

Why was it so hard now? I never used to have air though before, now it was all to easy for them to slip and take over my mind. Why? Why did they always come when I was just getting reacquainted with my world? They always came when I was comfortable, when I started to see things the way I used to.

I gasped, the cold air rushing down into my lungs, burning only slightly as I started to breath again. The sudden cold sent shivers throughout my whole body and I still couldn't clear the earth thoughts from my head, Ingo seemed like a dim paradise now. I had the sudden awareness of the weight of my clothing and as I looked toward the shore I saw how far away it was and gulped. All the times I'd been out to Ingo I'd never had to worry about the things I had been taught before I came in. ripe tides and currents, I was still in the cove, but it would be a struggle to swim that far to the shore… my head suddenly spun with tiredness but I shook my self awake. Slowly moving my arms and kicking my legs, swirling the water around me and moving forward, every so slowly to the shore.

Each stroke was more painfully slow than the next and the distant shore didn't seem to be getting any closer either, after a while edge stroke merged with the next, the numbing feeling of cold water let my thoughts drift. I was back in the current, gently rocking from side to side in it's warm waters. My bed of sea moss was below me, and the warm waters where full of salt and life, fish trickled in and out of the dappled light, the water swirled around me in tiny whirlpools like a Jacuzzi in a spa. The peace was so real, so lovely, I started to forget, memories drifted out in wisps of turquoise current, happy memories swirled around me like the fish, feeding me with happy feelings and joy. I never wanted to leave, the memories started to fade though, I reached out to touch them stop them, I wanted to hold them, even though they where fuzzy and unclear. The waters picked up, swirling again, more, lifting me of and around my little bed. The current grew stronger and tighter and the water around me darkened. Black coils of icy blackness surrounding me, pressing down on my chest, my bed disappeared as all sides rushed me, squeezing me. the dark water and images, memories flashed in my mind, jumbled piece of a puzzle that I couldn't put together to make anything relevant.

The life that flowed from Ingo's waters was no longer flowing into me, no, now it was like it was being sucked out of me, like being drained. Instead of floating I felt myself being pulled in deeper and deeper until only darkness was pushing down around me, a faint memory was stirring in the back of my mind, but it didn't have pictures with it, only feelings.

Sapphire…

A voice pierced the cold water surrounding me, floating around pushing the pressure of the darkness of my chest, but I still tried to breath and only ended with choking and coughing.

Sapphire… Sapphire!

The voice was familiar and urgent pulling at me, yanking me upwards as I choked on the water, yet something there wanted me to stay in that place, that memory was only on the surface only a little longer and I would remember it. the voice calling me wouldn't let me go through and between the moving toward it and the choking water burning and filling my lungs my vision blurred. I tried to reach out, hold on to something anything, then everything was gone.

* * *

"Sapphire!" The blurred image in front of me looked familiar, yet I couldn't make it out fully.

"Sapphire!" this wasn't the same voice that I had heard before though either… or maybe it was… they seemed to blur together in my mind.

Sapphire, "Sapphire." I blinked suddenly, two voices. Both so familiar yet right now so far away. I struggled to sit up and my world seemed to move around me, it was till I coughed up the salty water that had been in my lungs did I realise that the world wasn't moving but it was me shaking.

"Oh god sapphire, what where you doing? You're soaked, come here, take my jacket." I felt something wrapped round my shoulders. A Jacket, then I recognised the smell, not the salt that covered my body but a sweet earthy smell.

"Dave." I murmured but my voice sounded horse it felt liked it'd been rubbed all over with sandpaper. Then there was barking, loud barking that I couldn't not mistake. "Sadie!" that jolted me awake.

"Shh, shh. It's ok, she at the top of the path, she wouldn't come down Saph, she was scared. Come on." I felt him move putting his warm arms under me and lifting me to my feet, the shivers hadn't subsided, but the weight of my wet clothing was greater now I was out of the water. I pushed myself into daves warmth. His scent and smell was such a comfort now and I felt him wrapped his arms tighter round me in response. We slowly started back towards the cottage, not in silence, Dave talked to be all the way, not of anything important, but to keep me awake. I knew that, falling asleep would be bad now and answered his constant questions as he climbed behind me up the rocks to where Sadie was. She bounded up to me licking my face and rubbing her warmth against me, happy to see me. all of this though, it kept my thoughts away from the important things. The things like how I got to shore when I was at the mouth of the cove, like what those black memory where that I was so close to getting at and more importantly, whose voice was calling me…

I shook my head, Dave was still asking questions and now we where at the cottage. It wasn't to dark, but more the sun was just starting to set as we got there. Mum and Rodger still weren't home and I was glade about that but as soon as we got in Dave rushed up stairs and started filling the bath.

In the moments I realised why I loved him, he waited for me to get into the bath and made me tea, he talked to me, sitting just outside the bathroom door encase I needed him. He talked or would stay silent, anything I wanted. He took my thoughts of everything else. He let me relax. He let me be me. I sighed closing my eye's.

Sapphire

I jolted upright in the bath, eyes wide open and awake.

"Saph? You ok in there?" I heard Dave ask from outside and calmed slightly but the voice, that voice, was so, so real like it was right there.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." I answered finally getting out of the bath. It was just a dream. I'd fallen asleep for a moment, that was all. Simple dream moment. I grabbed the towel and rubbed it roughly over my skin before dressing in the clothes Dave had brought down for me, he'd even put my wet clothing in the wash. I dressed and wrapped my hair up in the towel before stepping out smiling. He grinned, sitting on the floor Sadie other the other side got up when she saw me, her happiness and relief showed clearly in her beautiful golden face. Dave slowly got up and before I could say anything his arms where wrapped tightly around me.

"Don't do something like that again." He muttered in my ears and I blinked, surprised. "When I saw you… I was so worried." He muttered and I couldn't help but smile. "I though I'd lost you." And my heart twisted in it's place, like, those vines that climb up walls, it was like vines had crawled up my heart and where now crushing it. because I knew what that felt like. To loose someone you loved. I knew too well.

"I won't." I promised. "I won't."

* * *

a/n, there you go… more… one thing… I know faro and sapphire are my favourite pairing… yet, this isn't simply a story where the main character has another boy friend and dumps him easily for their true love or they abuse them. She really does feel love for Dave, so I'd try to get that across here… but now, I have to break one of their hearts. Gah, and how… this could be interesting.

and yay, longest chap yet... i think


	7. Chapter 7

Dave staid with me even after I had reassure him that I was ok, it wasn't until later when Rodger and mum came home that he even considered going home, but by then it was late and persuading mum that he could stay in Connors room didn't take much. She liked Dave, he was earthy and safe and he had made me happy when I'd been sad.

We ate dinner, talking about mundane things that happened all the time. Connor called later in the evening and Rodger and mum curled on the sofa watching an old t.v soap that mum loved while me and Dave where in my room. Their was a hush silence over us though.

"Sapphire." Dave muttered, breaking the calm around us. he didn't look up, his brow was furrowed as if in thought, he looked a lot older then. It seemed like how granny Carne could one moment look old then young and his use of my full name, not just Sapphy, it was like when mum would tell me or Connor off.

"Yeah?" I asked, trying to keep the edge of fear from my voice. What was it that was wrong?

"I was thinking…" he paused he still didn't look at me but his gaze turned to the sea. "Why… why where you so far out… and why did you have you're clothes on?"

I blinked, I had no response, the water was cold, but I had a wet suit that I could have easily worn. That didn't leave me any explanation for swimming that far out into the cove either. It's dangerous with riptides that can easily suck you away never to be seen, in ingo those aren't a problem. In air, I forget that they are, my hesitation seemed to urge him on though. "I thought… after the last time when you got wiped out, you where scared of water, but now your swimming out really deep. You could've drowned… " he paused and I still didn't have anything to say to him, he looked up finally though and even if I did have something to say I doubt I would have been able to say it.

"Sapphire, you… you weren't trying to…" he struggle with his words like a fish trying to breath air. "You know you can tell me if anything's wrong? You would tell me if you where unhappy? You wouldn't just-" my mind finally clicked with what he was saying.

"No!" the automatic answer was honest and he seemed reassured, I quickly clambered next to him pushing my arms around him. "No. I wasn't trying to do that, I'm not unhappy. I love you and I couldn't never leave you, or Mum or Rodger."

He sighed and I felt his arms close around me, grinning and pulled myself closer. "I didn't mean to scare you, I just, I got caught by the water."

"I should have known that wipe out must of scared you more than I realised." He muttered. "You've always been part of the sea sapphire." He gave a small laugh, it lightly filled the room and wiped away the tension. "When we first meet, the way you stared out at the sea every day, went to the water every day… could do you believe I was jealous of it." I pulled back only a fraction, to look at his face.

"What?"

"I was jealous of the sea. I wanted you to look at me like you do at it, stupid I know." He sighed. "but you where fascinated by it… or longing for it. whatever, you love the sea sapphire, everyone knows it. Then, I wanted you to love me like that."

"But now you have me, and I do love you." I murmured and I pulled him tightly against me burying my head in his chest, but I had a nagging feeling at the back of my head.

Dave glanced down at the beautiful girl curled up in his arms, trying to reassure him. Telling someone your first thoughts on them wasn't easy for him, but right now, even with her curled up against him, even with her reassuring him even with her voice, he still knew.

'Do you love me Sapphy?... maybe. But I don't think you'll ever love me like you loved the sea.'

* * *

At first, you think water is easy to move through, its sleek and thin. Look closer and you see that it's thick and much more difficult to move through than air. It can lift you up, make you float, hold you gently. But it can also force you down, pull you deeper and deeper and eventually it can kill you.

The way the water changes so quickly was how he felt. For a moment it felt like his heart was being lifted floated up to the silver lining of the surface water, before being crushed and pulled back down. Like being pulled into the deep. Like going to find the Kraken, but even that memory made it hurt more.

Rather than thinking about it, Faro pushed along with his strong sleek tail, wandering. He could do whatever he wanted, find his sister… though she'd had gone to the north. He missed her, but even that wasn't the same, his sister was gone and it left a hole, but it wasn't the same as leaving her.

It wasn't as if he wanted to either, their had been so much to do, if he'd simply forgotten. No, he hadn't forgotten, the debulk on his wrist told him that, he looked at it every day, the twines of hair that are so similar they look like they came from the same head.

Still, though unlike the people in air, he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, he found himself not particularly wanting to do anything at all. He sighed and flipped over, and over and over making a continuous stream of bubbles, making it look like he was just one continuous circle as if by doing so it would help. Would make something better. All it did was remind him of how much that would make sapphire laugh, and for a moment he could enjoy that memory, but it still faded away when he stopped. Sighing he floated in the clear water for a while, there was only one place he could think of to go…

* * *

Do you really notice when you're going to sleep? Because it seems that only a moment ago I couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, yet as soon as I felt Dave warms arms around me, comforting me. Obviously slipping down from Connors room when he heard I couldn't sleep, I didn't even notice I was, until the faint sun light hit my eyes from the next morning.

I was glade slowly blinking open my eyes to look around, and moving Dave's arm from over me. he muttered in his sleep and I smiled for a moment. Last night I hadn't been crowded with haunted dreams of falling deeper and deeper into an abyss I couldn't get out of. I had, had dreams for the deep before, but I didn't think I feared it. I feared the Kraken, I didn't like the crushing pressure, but it was still Ingo, it was where The whale was. It may have been dark and confusing but it wasn't scary.

Now, though the dark, deep in my dream weren't like that thought. They where more like an empty hole. I guessed. Like a black hole that pulls everything, even light into it. It was like that, like the deep, it was confusing. I couldn't tell what was up or down or left or right. I didn't know where I wanted to go, even if I did know. I didn't know if the pressure was from the water or from something else. The only thing I could remember in those dreams was longing for something familiar, like Sadie or like the dolphins. Some to hold onto, but both seemed to be so far out of reach.

I brushed hair from my eyes, before grabbing a brush to comb it away from my eyes before heading down stairs. I could hear Mum and Rodger talking over the Kitchen table. Sadie jumped up as soon as she saw me though.

"Hey girl, good girl!" I murmured stroking her thick Gold coat. "Dave's still asleep." I told mum glancing down at Sadie.

"Mhm, Looks like see wants you to take her on a walk Sapphy." Mum said, picking up a mug of tea and taking a sip. She would have to go into work later today and Rodger would have to go in only a few minutes.

"Yeah… maybe I should wait for Dave to get up…"

"I don't think she can wait Saph." Rodger said, with a small smile. But glancing down I knew he was right. Sadie was almost vibrating with excitement, she understood the word walk and her tail was beating heavily against the air. She reminded me of when she was a puppy again. I smiled.

"Ok, I'm just gonna write a note for Dave." I muttered rushing to grab some scrap paper, and jotting it down. Just as my mum was putting down a carton of orange juice I slammed the note to the table… not really meaning to before grabbing Sadie's lead.

"Come on girl." I called and she followed. "I won't be long Mum!" Sadie bounded out the door, already smelling out new rabbit smells and earth smells as she bounded along and I darted after her. To hard to keep the smile from my face.

* * *

**a/n** 1, happy easter - more time to write ... i mean... study. 2, yay, next chapter, 3, yay faro. 4, yes it's short, i was going to combine it with the next one but thought... nah. 5, anyone can guess where Faro is going gets a virtual cookie, 6, there is pole open to vote for whose best so far, Dave or Faro! ..... (or connor... if he get any i might bring him in somewhere....)


	8. Chapter 8

Walking Sadie in the morning sunlight is one of the best feelings in the world. I watch as she sniffs around all the new smells that have come from the night before, her golden coat gleaming, reminding me of long ago when I was almost as carefree as she was. I wished I could be like Sadie, I could run and jump all day and then sit at home curled up by the fire at night and never have to worry about anything. No, that wasn't quite right though, because Sadie did worry. I couldn't say she didn't because I knew she did, she worried about me. I had seen what her worry could do, she tried to follow me into ingo, she became so sick. I shook my head, I hated thinking about that. I never wanted to do that to someone I loved again, not to Sadie, not to mum, not to Connor, not even to Rodger… and especially not to Dave.

Sadie bolted towards me, barking widely, excitedly. I wondered if she sensed my mood and was trying to get me out of it, but obviously I knew she was. I ran my hand along her golden back, pausing to feel the scars on her skin when the gulls had got her so long ago. How could it be that even now ingo had it's reminders around? On the things closest to me as well. I sighed and knelt down to look into Sadie's soft brown eyes that was what I wanted to be reminded of. Earth, warmth, comfort, love. Not ingo, not right now.

I would always love ingo, the whales, the dolphins, but right now…ingo… scared me.

I had only found it again, but I couldn't be in it. I kept fighting to think of air… even though I didn't need to. Before, I could slip into ingo easier, I could think of mum and Sadie… now I couldn't. Maybe I wasn't fully mer and fully earth any more, maybe I was less mer. Connor, he said that it got weaker, mer blood got weaker if you ignore it, and I had been ignoring it for a long time.

My mind was drifting so much that I barely paid attention to where I was walking. Simply following the glimmer of Sadie coat, so when I heard the splash of water ahead I stumbled, thinking at first we had come to the sea, but as I looked up I realise it's not the sea, the sea is close, but it's still distant. I've come here before and the only reason I didn't realise was because the cows weren't there. Last time I came here the cows where in the field, despite it being a cold November night and I thought that was strange. Now, Sadie's running ahead of me, already climbing under the last stile that leads to the Lady stream. I have a sense of deja vu, but I know why, the village above us and the river that runs swiftly through the fields. This was where I first found dad. I'm not repulsed by his memory now, like then, I remember I was scared that night, scared of him. Now I quickly brush a tear away from my eye. I have the vision of him passing through to liminia, but it goes. I won't forget Dad, but I want to remember him alive.

The deep brown pool ahead is just as deep as it was that autumn night, even though it's hotter now and there hasn't been much rain. I don't wonder on that because Sadie's already running up to the edge of the river and is barking at the brown surface. Maybe she's seen a fish underneath, one of the trout's, but suddenly there's a splash of water and I here a yelp. Looking up I see Sadie soaked and running back, pausing just before me to shake her golden coat and shower me with water droplets.

"Urgh, Sadie." I muttered then looked at her, she pressed herself against my legs and I frowned. "What is it girl?" I asked, turning back to the pool.

* * *

Swimming to the shore was the easy part; Faro had often come near shore, especially in the last few years. He had always pulled himself up onto the rocks, so he was used to coming into air, it had only ever become easier once he had found out the truth. But, this, this was something he'd never thought he would ever do.

More than that, it was difficult, far more difficult than pushing through into air, or pulling himself up onto a rock. Going down into the deep even, because at least then he'd had Connor and Sapphire there.

He'd waited for high tide at night, knew that she would never answer his call if he asked her to come to the sea. This was the only way he could think of, he hoped it worked, pulling himself up the stream, across the pebbles and stones, ignoring the pain flaring up his tail as they caught sharp rocks where the stream was too shallow to swim through. The earth taste of the streams water was strange in comparison with the sea and the further inland he got the harder it became. The sun rose as he struggle up and it never seemed to occur to him that he might some how be seen, lucky the stream was fairly tucked away, no one usually came by.

He carried on, until the stream came to a steep incline, a small waterfall and a pool. Faro sighed, his tail was cut up and the climb had been tiring enough, he doubted he would be able to get up there even if he hadn't been tired, he curled at the bottom of the pool, light flittered through the water, making strange patterns on the rocky floor. He had to admit it was strangely pretty in the brown earth water. There where different creatures and a different taste but even so he couldn't think of how earth water was any different to sea water. It had the same nutrients, same oxygen giving safety; it could change from being clam to wild at an instance… it just didn't have much salt. …

Faro was pulled out his thoughts, realising that he had been falling asleep; by the sound of … well he didn't know what the sound was. A loud obnoxious rough sound, Similar to a seal somewhat, but defiantly not a seal. Something from the land, but what land creatures- he paused he'd remembered seeing some thoughts of Sapphires, remembering one of them. Of an animal with four legs and a soft gold coat that she loved… what was she called?

Sadie. That was right. A dog.

A flicker of his tail and he moved from the bottom of the pool to peer out the semi-clear water just below the surface. He could see through now to the soft looking face starring down into the water when it suddenly started barking again. This time at him and loudly. Twisting round he moved his tail, pushing down gently to break the water and sending a spray covering the animal that yelp running away.

That was when he heard her. "Urgh…. Sadie." That was Sadie and Sapphire, he had only a faint concept of pets, but he knew that Sadie would go with Sapphire and she had come here. He hadn't even had to call her. "What is it girl?"

He gave a tiny flickering movement of his bruised, cut tail to push his head only just through into the air, it was a lot harder to move into the air here than it was from the sea. Here it was much further away from ingo, but he could just see above the long grass, the rocks around the pool, make out the shimmer of gold coat. And her. She had the long brown hair like he remembered but it was … different, he hadn't been able to tell in the water. It was strange Faro had seen Sapphire on the beach, walking many times, but never on land like she was now. Never in her own element like she was supposed to be. The glint of Ingo was still on her face, but there was something else there too and it wasn't water.

* * *

I paused, something, a noise like a pebble breaking the skin of the water came from the pool. Standing up slowly with Sadie still pushing against me I made my way closer. Maybe it was a fish, but something in my stomach, knotting tightly, told me that it wasn't. Maybe because I'd seen dad here, being paranoid, those where explanations for the butterflies in my stomach. As got closer to the pool, it became clear that those weren't the right reasons.

The brown hair floating in the water rose up to reveal a head, then shoulders, a body that I remembered and knew if I could see down I would see the strong sleek grey of a seal tail. Yet, I couldn't unfreeze my muscle, couldn't make my mind believe what my eyes where seeing I must been hallucinating. People hallucinate all the time… but I didn't know what could have caused it. And I had seen this all before.

"Faro… what are you doing here?" I snapped suddenly, he had the same smug grin on his face, but it didn't seem to light up his eyes like it had done before. He took a breath, it seemed rather ragged compared with how I remember, but my memory was faint and it didn't want to come back to me. I tried to look at it more clearly, but it was like when dad first died, no matter how much I tried nothing seemed to be right. I couldn't see more than a blurry resemblance.

"I came for you Sapphire." I frowned, and knelt down next to the pool so I was more level with him. Sadie's warmth was against my back, but soaking my clothing.

"Faro did you even think about how someone might see you?" I muttered, I felt slightly strange myself. Usually when I talked to Faro it was in the sea, far away from my earth world… even the flood in St. Pirans… ingo had been strong around us then. Here, it was still earthy, I had Sadie standing next to me, ingo was weak. I knew I had to be talking at least partly mer thought. It was surreal. More surreal than diving into ingo, because that at least felt natural.

"It is strange isn't it." I blinked, I hadn't thought about Faro reading my mind and automatically I brought a portcullis down when he did.

"You shouldn't do that, and you didn't answer my question." I glanced down to the sea, trying to figure out where the tide was but I knew that it would be low by now. Faro would have no way to get back to the sea. Not for a few hours at least and what if someone came down the path by then?

Faro only shrugged in response, he hardly seemed to care. "Faro do you even know what people might do to you if they find you?" I snapped again, I was only getting more and more annoyed with him as the time went by. I leant back as he moved forward, pushing himself out of the pool more and leaning against the grassy and stony bank of the pool.

"They would put me in some cage and gap at me like humans do with other animals," My mouth opened then snapped shut, he was right, but that didn't mean he had gotten the point.

"Or they'd fish you out and cut you open to see how you tick." I had vivid images of Faro being pined down to a table while scientists cut him open, trying to guess if this entire thing was a trick or not. More than that to shock him enough into understanding how dangerous this was but no fear showed in his eyes. I wondered if Faro was ever scared… I could only think of a few times when he was… with the claw thing going to the meeting the first time, when the tides broke in ingo, in the deep with the kraken, going north. Those times I could understand why he was fearful too; he was still braver than me even then.

Faro just seems to stare up at me though as if he's waiting for something and I remember how I used to be scared that he would think I was weak, too weak to help when the tide knot broke, too weak to help Connor when he couldn't breath. Now, however, I was the one in my element not the other way round.

"Faro you need to go back to the sea, to ingo." I correct myself and when I see his mouth going to move I interrupt him. "Now." it's a command and for once it stops Faro in his tracks. He frowns for a moment.

"You have changed Sapphire." He muttered as he pushes back out into the deeper area of the pool. "I cannot go back until the tide rises." He murmurs after but it's not what I respond to.

"Of course I've changed Faro, what did you expect!" I almost yell but I stop myself, I don't want to cause people to come down. Sadie whimpered and I felt bad for scaring her, but the anger that I'd had in my chest finally wanted to come out. I couldn't leave Faro here and he couldn't leave either, it had no where else to go. "You left Faro, you left and you didn't even come by once, not when I called, not when I went into ingo, not once. Did you think I'd just carry on waiting all this time! I can't wait forever Faro; I moved on, I got a life. I'm happy, I don't need you ruining It." my hands where balled into fists at my sides and I could feel the ball of tears I was holding back at the back of my throat. Faro eyes seemed different though from before.

I sighed, my shoulders slumping. "You disappeared, faro. You promised me you'd never disappear." My anger seemed to have completely drained from me, I felt tired. Exhausted. I wanted to go back to warmth and my familiar, safe, little cottage, with mum and Rodger and curl under my blanket and never get back up again. I heard Sadie whimper again and felt her push her head onto my lap. I stroked it absent mindedly for a while. Silence passed between us, I didn't count how long, it was only when his movement caused a splash of water that I look up again. Faro had moved back across the water, frowning.

"I'm sorry, Sapphire." His voice was quiet, still husky from being in air I guessed. "I never meant to… I didn't think…"

"No, you didn't faro, do you ever?" I muttered. "You seem to just go and do things without thinking about anyone else, about any consequences."

His face changed for an instant. "and if I never did that then I would never have found you, would you have preferred that Sapphire. You're mer as well, would you have me let you just ignored that. Would you do everything differently?"

I glared, I loved ingo everything about it… yet.

"If it meant I never had to meet you, then yes, faro. I'd much rather never found out about ingo, much rather you never came." I stood up and looked back towards the sea again, I could tell the tide was starting to rise, I'm sure faro could too. I didn't realise that so much time had past, but I guess it was like ingo, time changes. I kept my mind closed all the time; I didn't want to see into his or him into mine. "Now leave Faro."

* * *

a/n ::: poll is still open, reviews get cookies (constructive critics gets two!) flamers can have some water. also, I need a beta… as someone mentioned last time. Which I do take into account, however, I don't really have much time to look for one… I will try if I get no response. At the moment I'm just doing a good couple of proof reads before they go up. But there still may be errors.

((also, for anyone who ask 'how does faro even know how to get into the lady stream?' because I actually thought about that, but I couldn't see how I could answer that in the story without going off track, here is my educated answer. The mer, have a linked memory, remember, faro shows sapphire things that happened years and year before he was born at one time in... the first book maybe.... So he probably knows like her, the mer version of the zenor mermaid, and so I figured he realised how to do it via that. There, an educated answer!))


	9. Chapter 9

"No."

Sadie growled lightly at the tone of voice that faro answered in, I put my hand on her collar not to hold her back, but to comfort myself. Faros voice was cold, I had heard him speak in that tonne only a few times before and it seemed even thought he must be weak from the climb he still had some of his power from Ingo left in him. His tail pounded against the water and I saw the dirt from the stream moved with each powerful stroke that propelled his human half form out of the water his hand pulling him up further as they pushed down on the rocks and grass beneath him.

For some reason I felt frozen, unable to speak and to move and I could still feel Sadie softly vibrating under my hand. I had felt so strong only a moment ago, but I guess I was wrong, I hadn't felt strong at all. I had wanted to be strong. I had wanted to get Faro away as quickly as possible, but I wasn't strong, at least not enough.

"Go." I ground the words out from my teeth and looked down; I couldn't keep his eyes locked with mine. I was sure I had hurt him, but it wasn't like Faro to give up when he was hurt. No, when he was hurt he only struggled harder, when he was hurt he brought himself away and he became cold, his pride wouldn't let him be proved wrong.

"Not until you let me explain."

"I don't want your explanation." I muttered. "I want you to leave." I knew his eyes where on me, they burnt my skin like hot coals, even though there was no such thing in Ingo.

"If you don't want to hear what I have to say Sapphire, then you should leave, but I will stay here until you listen to me. Even if that means I have to be put in a cage."

I ground my teeth together but despite myself, despite wanting to just leave and go back to Dave, I couldn't. I couldn't just leave him here when I knew he'd get caught and I knew something terrible would happen when someone noticed him. I reasoned that it would be because I never could deal with that happening to anyone and not because of something else. The silence hung for a while though, Faro showed no signs of backing down and Sadie was still.

The tension in the air seemed to choke me almost as much as the bundled up emotions and tears that crowded my throat. My finger nails clutched into my palms until I thought they would draw blood, they didn't.

The loud, echoing hoot of an owl rolled over the hills and sent a sudden chill through me. I twisted to see where the sound of the bird had come from, waiting to catch a glimpse of fiery amber eyes and sharp talons. Even the birds of preys haunting figure would remind me, distract me, from this.

There was no owl behind me though. Only the wrinkly, withered old form of a women who had more earth power than anyone I knew.

"Granny Crane?" I asked, automatically putting myself between her and Faro by an instinctive though. As if my blood knew that earth should never be this close to the sea.

"Hello Sapphire." Her eyes scanned over Faro as she took another step closer to the stream and the power rolling of her in waves for a second made me stumble to the side wanting so badly to be out of her way. Her hand brushed Sadie's head as she did so, staring now with those harsh bright eyes to the glare of Faro. "You are far out of your element, boy." Faro didn't speak back and for a moment I remembered that he spoke a different language altogether. Did he even understand Granny Carne? She was completely earth? She could only speak human, not mer. "You should go back, before the earth water makes you sick." She stated again and now I knew Faro must understand.

"I'm not leaving until I can explain-"Granny Carne cut him of with a hand, holding it firmly in the air. For a moment I saw something like Sawldor in her. They where one of the same really, I think Faro saw it too as he stopped without questions.

"Go. You will not get what you want this way. Hearts take longer to heal than what you may think and trust is not easy to rebuild." Faro blinked, for a moment I though he might disagree, might argue and I dreaded what Granny Carne would do, I knew she had power in herself. I had seen it.

I was glade when he didn't after a pause that seemed like too long, he curled backwards on himself into the water and started to slide back down the stream. I watched as did Granny Carne as the shadow of his body flickered in the murk until it all but disappeared and even after that I still watched. As if by watching I would be able to make sense of it all, by watching I would help him get there safely and by watching I would not have to face what happened next.

I felt a hands press on my shoulder, no longer scary or threatening but full of love and kindness. Before I knew what I was doing I had spun and my arms wrapped round the comforting old figure that everyone went too in times of trouble, who I felt like I needed now, to fill me with earths warmth and kindness and life. She stood still and I felt distantly like I was hugging a tree. A tall standing oak that had been here for thousands and thousands of years. She didn't move or question, just stood supporting me for as long as I needed as my tears ran down my face and sobs broke into quiet crying, salty tears in a earthen world.

But no matter how much I tried to fill myself with earth… there still seemed to be a place that would stay empty.

One big, black hole in my heart.

* * *

**A/N**: Ok, this isn't proof read much, nor is it long. Reason, I'm going on holiday tomorrow, but I really wanted to put something up. I knew this was how it was going to go and it just turned out to have a nice little ending to it as well.

I have got someone in mind to be a beta for the next chapter… (they should know who they are…) anyway, I hope this is enough to get people though three weeks and enjoy. Please read and review! Cause reviews make my day!


	10. Chapter 10

(oooh, chapter 10, double digits, I am proud)

((mmm, trying to mimic HD style more so more, first person, present tense, as it is, very analogous writing, simply, simple thoughts and feeling pushed through it.)), reallllly need to work on using first tense verbs rather than past in the thinking mode though, that's how HD makes it, but trying not to make it seem to childish at the same time is hard…))

((an, , *breaths* no, I am not dead, yes I do and will continues. But, life is hectice, I am now a uni student YAY so I feel kind of out of touch with this right now, but I kept on and kept on getting reviews and after a while I just was like. oh dear… I really do need to do something about this… so DEADLINES. Yes, I will have some dead lines, for when you can expect the next chapters to be up, um… maybe a month between each chapter, most likely. But hey, it's be better than the what (year or so) between this.)

* * *

I sat in down, Sadie curled up by my feet, the surrounding granite not pushing down around me like it had once before, but it wasn't comfortable either. The feeling that swelled in my stomach was like when I'd been younger sitting at the kitchen table with Connor and Dad, waiting to be scolded for being caught doing something we had been told not too. This was maybe why, when Granny Carne perched her old form down opposite me, like a head teacher, I tensed.

"Sapphire," She started her voice the ever old wisdom filled voice that sent tremors down your spine.

"Yes."

"I understand." That was not something I really expected to hear, nor was the hand that stretched out over the wood and wrapped warmly round my own. She smiled, a strange smile that made her face glow with youth and age at the same time. It was like looking at two pictures over laid on each other. Then it was gone. "I'm old Sapphire, older than my teeth and a little bit younger than my tongue. But old, I know a little of what you feel." I swallowed my mouth suddenly very dry. My eyes had stopped stingy with tears and dried on the walk back to Granny Carnes house, but I was sure they where still red and puffy.

"What do I do?"

"I can't decide that for you Sapphire, you have to choose it for yourself." She pulled back patting my hand as she did so. "But you're a smart girl, you'll figure it out."

"But…" I started, my mind couldn't think straight, couldn't pulled together the thoughts and the feelings that conflicted. I didn't know what to do, I wanted to be told. "You're Granny Carne. You're the person everyone comes too when they need help."

She smiled, owl orange eyes flashing. "Sometimes, these things just need to run their course and they'll sort themselves out." With that she started outside to busy herself, with the things that Granny Carne does.

Leaning back I let out a sigh. It was not the most helpful advice, but even so. Standing up I headed for the door, Sadie, following at my heel, of course, Sadie was a good girl. I have no idea of the time it is now, or even what it was when I left… but I was sure I'd been gone too long.

And I soon find I'm right. I can tell because Sadie looks so tired on the way back. I walk slowly for her and she doesn't seem to mind, but she's not running ahead like she usually does. She's too old now for long walks. She can rest the rest of the day.

It's not only that though, I see Dave running down towards me.

"Sapphy!" He called before he's even reached me and doesn't stop, smiling as he pulls me towards him and holds me there. I grin, I can't help but grin. "You where gone for so long, you should have woken me up, I'd have come with you." He pushed back and stopped. His face turned sombre, not an expression I liked seeing on Dave, it isn't scary or worrying in fact, it doesn't make me feel anything. It just doesn't suit his face. "You've been crying?" he asks it as a question and I frown.

"It's nothing. I went up to see granny carne, I'm fine now." But I can see the hurt on his face, I wonder if he knows I'm lying. I wonder if really he knows something's wrong and is sad I haven't told him, sad that I told Granny Carne but not him. I don't like it any more than his other expression. I take his hand and start walking again.

"Come on, when we take Sadie back, we can go down to the cove. This time I won't swim so far out." The sudden change in subject changed his face back to the way it was supposed to be. But, the feeling of tension still hung out heavily between us. I could feel it… I just hoped it wouldn't come crashing down any time soon.

* * *

Sadie was glade to get back inside, slumping down on the kitchen floor and laying her head in her paws. Content with her long walk and too tired, she just lifted her head as Dave and I headed out the door, wet suits in hand. The water was cold still, but that had never deterred us before. We talk about pointless things like we always do on the way down to the cove, it was always easy to talk to Dave. He was the type of person that words simply rolled out towards. He was never complicated.

"Hey Saph?"

"Hm?" I turned from my place in front as we walked down the narrow path that leads to the cove.

"Listen, can you hear?" I blinked, but I listened and strained my ears but I didn't hear anything different to usual.

"What?" he grinned. Rolling his eyes and making room on the path to stand by my side, arm wrapped around my torso pulling me closer.

"The sea, sapphire, I would have though you'd be one to listen out for that."  
"Oh… ooh." I muttered, Blinked and concentrated. Yes, now I paid attention I realised the sea was in the background, waves roaring against the rocks and sand and cliffs. Though, I was so used to it, that didn't mean it wasn't special, it was just something I didn't need to notice. "What about it?" he frown, faltered for a second before he shrugged.

"I don't know, it just sounds different today. Like it's… more of… I dunno. Sad."

I blinked, Dave was always happy, I preferred him that way, but he was also one of those people who could pick up on things other people didn't.

Perceptive, I think that was the right word. Yes, Dave was very perceptive of other people's feelings. I closed my eyes and paused trying to listen to the ocean again. This time I really concentrated, this time I could hear the low moans and the wails as the water rushed up and slammed into the cliffs. As it pulled back along the sands and the gulls squawked over head and I could picture it too. The sea did seem sadder today.

"Yeah." I muttered, "Yeah I know what you mean."

Then we were climbing down finding the footholds that my feet and hands knew off by heart and walking in-between the two heavy rocks until we reached the cove. The clean white sand than sloped gently all the way down to the water without being touched. The familiarity of it always brought a smile to my face.

However, today it didn't. Today something was wrong, very wrong.

"Hey do you see that?" Dave called from right behind me, he pointed his arm out to point to the line of rocks around the cove. The tide was out, but water still reached those further out. His arm drew a line to a point on the sharp black rocks where the waves smashed into them and frothed and exploded around. A point where the water seemed just a bit more violent than it did else where in the cove today.

Right where a figure sat on the rocks, silhouetted against the sunlight, looking like he wore a wet suit pulled down to his waist.

I didn't answer, I didn't speak, I just froze. I stared at the point in the water and my muscle froze. Somewhere inside me I felt burning anger raging around screaming too. My emotions conflicted as the fire pounded against the ice keeping my body still.

"Saph? Is something wrong?" His arm fell on my shoulder immediately and like a spell it just erased everything.

"Huh?" I mumbled, my eyes moved from the sea back to him. He gave a sly grin, but worry was etched into his features still.

"You just… freaked out for a moment?"

"Oh… sorry. Heh, I guess the other day." He relaxed then and his hand moved from my shoulder to put his arm over them and hug me to his side.

"I get it, don't worry Saph, I won't let anything happen to you. Ever, you know that."

I did as well. in that moment the figure on the rocks didn't bother me that much. He didn't bother me, because I knew what Dave told me was true. He'd never let anything happen to me, with him. I never had to worry again.

* * *

(**a/n**: so yes, there we go an update, it's short, i know, and the grammar, maybe iffy i did proof read, i didn't find much. i will try to update more... though i have to ask for feedback, for me this seemed a bit rushed... i'll try harder to flesh things out more hopefully with what happen next and muwhahaha, maybe faro and dave will actually meet...))


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